TexasPRfan

hmmm, I would have given everything to Scuots except GE Music, Guard & Percussion. Would have given those 3 to Bluecoats. Harvey

Thanks for the thoughts on the show. Interesting - for all the reviews from S.A, I can't find one that thought Madison should have been over Regiment, and most thought they should have been behind Bluecoats as well. Will be interesting to see what happens in Indy! Harvey

NOOOOOTTTT!!!! Whole new ending for Madison added tonight (I was there, just posted the review), and Seattle chunked most of their narration, finally, except for the opening. SCV also moved up the 1917/CCCP/USSR drill from backfield towards midfield. :) Harvey

Ok, review is up in the show review section, and you can see it there. Might surprise ya quite a bit. No, Carmen does not come floating back. Yes the Fluer De Lis makes an appearance, but not in the big brassy way you would espect... Harvey

Mike, I would encourage you NOT to cancel your trip. Is this DCI's best year ever? Ehhh, maybe not up to last year even, but still great. And as for SCV, they are still a proud corps with a great, hearfelt show. I'm sure they will be special, and emotional in Boston, even if they are in the 7-9 grouping. Harvey

Just got back from taking my mom to the show in Enid. Always a fun night. It sure made a for a long drive from San Antonio on Sunday, but hey, it's once a year, and definitely worth it. The Enid HS stadium is a great place for a show - about 25 rows up from goal to goal, and a nice steep pitch, right on top of the field. This review will be shorter, as I just put up a LONG one on everyone for Saturday... In addition to a great lineup, there were some interesting twists tonight: - Seattle has chopped out all but their opening narration (yea!!!!!!) - Madison has added on a new ending More on both in due time. :) Southwind -- Upon 3rd viewing, this is still one of my favorite shows of the summer. It's just creative & fun. The crowd really dug 'em tonight, and the closer in particular. What a great vehicle for this corps. Peformance is still a bit ragged, but all in all great show. The guard seemed to struggle more with the heavy wind tonight than did many corps. Cap Regiment -- Closed down the gap to one 10th with S/W tonight, and to a half point with Cascades. The horn ensemble was noticeably tighter tonight. The show itself still feels a bit esoteric, and the crowd in Enid had a harder time relating to it. The corps puts an impressive amount of energy and intesity into the show though. One glaring cleaning opportunity stood out -- the horns end a part of the ballad in a big arc towards side A, and I swear, I saw 20 different positions/angles for the forward foot. Should be simple to clean, and needs attention. Seattle Cascades -- I was SO pleasantly surprised to see the staff has stopped being stubborn and scaled back the narration massively, using only now the openign narration, up to the point of "airborne." GREAT improvement. Seattle was late to the show due to equipment truck problems. Hope all is ok there. Interestingly, they obviously didn't get there in time to assemble their big props. And you know what? That part of the show (the aircraft assembly) was MUCH better with out them. Well, I say they got their too late to assemble them. Perhaps the staff had already figured that out & took them out? Either way, that section of the show works much, much better without them. The drill sets even looked cleaner in the assembled plane. Glassmen -- I got the opportunity to watch them rehearse today too for a while, which was nice as they were staying in my tiny home town of Pond Creek, OK, where I grew up (yes, a far cry from Dallas, where I live). Glassmen seem awfully young in the horn line this year, and you hear it in their show. The brass line struggls at times with tone quality and intonation, especially when different sections are more exposed. They tightened up a couple of sections quite nicely today, though, and tonight they had the biggest score jump of anyone from Saturday night's S.A. show. I still don't think the music book is really that effective -- until they get to the closer. The latin/tango closer is HOT. You can tell the kids are more confident in that part of the show, and their performance level and intensity increases. I also found out they changed about 45 sets of drill 10 days ago, and it's still limiting their showmanship/execution. Perhaps that's why the first half of the show hasn't lived up to it's hype this week for me. Santa Clara Vanguard -- I felt like they were more "on" Saturday night in S.A. They felt more ragged today, and sounded it, too. Still, a terrific music performance. Oddly, they even had soem issues with a few people keeping in step. A rare site for Vanguard in late July. They've also appear to have changed the 1917/CCCP/USSR drill a bit, moving it more towards the middle instead of the back side of the field. I love this show, but I just don't know if they can overcome the design flaws & color guard execution issues to sneak up to that 7th spot or not. Bluecoats -- They felt like the crowd favorite tonight, and many in the crowd seemed surprised that they did not win. To me, they did not because Madison is tighter and cleaner at this point. Bluecoats have such a terrific product this year, though. Balance accross all 3 sections, with a fabulous drum line and a great music book and drill to go with it. One odd note here -- they had one baritone player who marched about 30 yards across the field in an angled line that was OUT OF STEP! Out of step until they stopped. He never caught it. After 3 viewings, I'm not sure Bluecoats can catch many above them, with perhaps only Madison being a corps they have a shot at, but by far the best 'coats ever. Bravo! Madison -- Ok, I've held the suspense long enough. Madison unveiled their new ending tonight. The show goes on just like it has, stops (where it did end), and then picks back up for about 30 seconds. As the music decrescendos down, the corps fills into a Fluer de Lis, and then as the music completely dies off (YES -- IT'S A DOWN ENDING), they've reassembled in their opening drill move. Huh. Not sure this will be super effective, from a music perspective. All in all, upon 2 viewings, I find this show to be a bit flat and almost sterile. Perhaps they are workimg super hard on control in the horn line, or perhaps it's the arranging. I'd just like to see more passion & depth in this show. Clearly the best Madison since 1999. I think they will settle into 5th or 6th, as the season progesses. Harvey

I just had to laugh about the comment on the Enid scores post about no one putting in big new stuff between big shows... WRONG! Madison put a whole new ending onto the end of their show tonight. I'm about to write my review now (how's that for a teaser?) :P Harvey

WORD. w/Stp:

Very nice review, Mike! I agree on the overall assessment for the year, at this point, too. Interesting, I haven't found a review yet of Saturday that didn't think Regiment shouldn't have been 3rd, or at least right there. Harvey

Nice review Blake. Good to see a review from a younger perspective (please dont' take that the wrong way). It's interesting how many people besides folks like me with a bias think Regiment should have placed higher Saturday. Loved your Cavaliers last summer. Great show! Thanks for the review, Harvey

A big thumbs up to Cadets this year. Way cool show. I think they will win, come finals, unless Cavies are able to inject more effect and depth into their music. Harvey

Excellent, very detailed review, Mike. Nice job telling the story of each corps' show, for those who haven't seen them yet. Harvey

Yup, looks like you and I are on the same page this year, Jonathan. Agree with all the points you just made. I'll see Bluecoats & Scouts square off again tonight. Should be interesting. Harvey

Surprised no one has referenced Regiment's 2nd place in Visual Performance and 3rd in Vis Ensemble, in addtion to the strong brass & percussion showings... Go Regiment! :) Harvey

I'd say Cavies GE Music placement was deserving. They are lacking in effect at this point, but fixable, I think. As for BD, less then their usual stellar musical performance. Brass & percussion scores were much closer to right than was their Music Ensemble score with the tears & phasing I heard. Still, it's degrees of greatness this year in the whole top 6, and BD is still very, very good. Harvey

Jonathan, I agree! Even a buddy of mine who's never much of a Regiment fan (he marched Star, BD & SCV), said Regiment was his favorite of the night -- and he thought they should have been in the mix for 3rd, not in 5th. Coats are amazing too. Just posted a full review in the reviews section. Harvey

PS -- I will add that it was gratifying to see Regiment take 2nd in Visual Performance and 3rd in Ensemble Visual, Brass, and Percussion. I thought all of those were deserved. Harvey

Ok, on with my review after my own intermission! If you didn't read the other one because you are a top 6 snob and arent' interested in the corps that aren't securely into finals yet, shame on you! Lot's of great stuff in spots 12-24 this year. To reiterate, this is at least my second viewing of most corps, and I had great seats for what was a great show Saturday (42 yard line, row 3, upper deck). I'll note which corps I was seeing for the first time, as I've found that I'm often off in what I think of a show upon first viewing. Glassmen -- This show was much hyped in the early season. I do have to say I really like it. Not sure it's living up to that hype right now though, at least not until the closer. Perhaps the corps has hit a bit of a "wall" as they have watched their score improvement not keep up with some. The take on New World is fun & creative, although, some parts seem to work better (like the closer), than others (like the opener). The horn line at this point is not producing as full and dark of a sound as they did last summer, but there is still time for that. The drill does some terrific staging for the corps, and I know that's Alan's strength/focus. I do wish, there was a little more "effect" in the drill, though. I think that is holding their GE Visual scores back a tad. The color guard is "fun," but there is certainly significant cleanign to do their. I love the tange/latin feel of the closer, and I do like this show alot. They still have the potential to threaten those immediately above them, for sure. Blue Knights -- Performance, Performance, Performance. These kids are very focused, and they play and march quite well for mid-July. Very impressive, and clearly on another level in marching & Brass performance than anyone below them at this point. The drill is engaging, with lots of nice sets that are appealing to the eye. The drum guard feature in the middle, clearly reminiscent of fundamentals blocks (they are doing a show about a day in the life of the corps), with lots of nice rifle spinning. Apart from that the show really doesn't carry the theme well, with the exception just mentioned and perhaps the ballad. The "Some Enchanted Evenign" strains are just beautiful. A definite highlight, although I'm surprised they are getting away with not giving credits to the original in the program. The other parts of the music book are not very accessible. BK is certainly deserving of their proximity to SCV and Boston at the moment, however. I don't think they will catch either, but you never know!!! Santa Clara Vanguard -- It hurts to see such a proud organization go through a season like this. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what is most broken, beyond the color guard & the drill design. I think they should be getting a little more credit than they are musically, although just as in Dallas Thursday night, their performance tonight was not nearly as powerful as their end of rehersal run through on Wednesday night. The rifle line, to their credit, was much better than Thursday night, but they are still the weakest part of the show. Many tosses not together, and even many simple body/equipment moves are not clean. At the end RCM sorely lacks in tempo compared to it's 87 predecessor. Visually, the design for RCM in particular is just too slow to evolve (and no - that's not because it has to be that way because of the music). This show is eriely reminiscent to Regiment's downturn of 98/99, although not quite to the same degradation of visual performance levels. In many years, this show would still challenge for 6th, just not this year. I still think they have a shot at anywhere between 7th and 10th, although catching Crown might prove to be impossible (for 7th). Boston Crusaders(FIRST VIEWING) -- I was quite excited to see this show, as I love all of their musical selections. Certainly an impressive corps, with more power, at least when standing still, than I've EVER heard Boston put out. On first viewing, I'm not the biggest fan of the arrangements of most of their pieces, though. Perhaps it was partly due to the Dome, but the melodic line does not come through very well in far too many places, apart from the huge, frequent power chords. As usual, the corps has a fairly solid individual marching technique. As for the drill, as others have said, it's not as "picturesque" as some of Boston's fine efforts over the past 5 years, but it's solid nonetheless. The guard is terrific, and well integrated throughout the show. Great choices of silks as well. I'm hoping this show grows more on me upon further viewing, because I really WANT to love it. Carolina Crown -- Speaking of love, I LOVE Crown's ballad. The arrangement of Sarah M.'s Angel is just beautiful, and the choreography in both the guard and horn line is just stunning in that section. In particular, don't miss the visuals from the Sopranos (I refuse to use the other word) at the begining are great. Don't miss them! Throughout the whole piece the corps does a fantastic job of depicting how angels can carry us or pick us up when we are down, or are just watching over us. Bravo! The creative highlight of the year for me, and that's saying something when you also consider Phantom, Cavies & Cadets's shows. I don't know that the rest of the show lives up to that same level, at least yet. The rest of the arrangements just didn't connect with me to the same level. I think Crown is as locked into 7th as anyone could be at this point in the season - not going higher or lower unless SCV pulls off a miracle. The lack of color does hurt, I think, in selling the rest of the show. I understand the understated elegance approach, which they do amazingly well. I'd just like some more warm colors at some points of the show. Bluecoats -- What an amazing year for Bluecoats. While they squeaked into top 6 last year, they are FIRMLY a member of that elite this year. It's not a question of IF they can stay in the top 6, but where they will finish. This corps moves more, and covers more field, than any corps on tour this summer. Wow. And they play really, really well. All of this is highlighted by a terrific color guard, although I don't think the depth of their demand/book is as high. Personally, I had them above Madison tonight (I'll get to that). They clearly have lots of room to continue to clean visually as well. Don't assume just yet that 'coats will stay in 6th the rest of the year. Phantom Regiment -- Ok - beware - I'm biased towards this corps. That said, boy was I wrong about this year & being leary of their musical choices. WOW. What a corps & what a show. I had a good friend sitting with me who marched Star '90, SCV '93 and BD '94, and has taught with SCV recently, and he usually does not like Regiment. He loved them, and called it his favorite show of the night. In fact, the whole crowd around me thought they should have beaten Madison & been right there with BD. I have to say I don't understand the GE scoring for Regiment last night. Musically, they certainly to me should have been at least 3rd, and certainly not behind BD & Madison. And it's really odd to me how they've gone from beating Cadets in GE visual to being almost a point and a half behind them in 6 days. I would have had them 3rd in GE Visual, behind Cavies & Cadets. I'm not sold on the guard changes of costume in sight of the crowd, although I know they are tryign to be frisky or risque. They have added covers to the front sideline and do some of the changing there. I think that's where they should do all of it. As I said in my Wichita Falls Review, the colors added to the show are just GORGEOUS. What a beautiful show from Phantom Regiment. Perhaps they are getting hurt in GE from a variety or rep. perspective by not having a darker or more dissonant section to the show any where, but how could you with this show? What a loving tribute to Gershwin. And, the hornline has definitely been working on adding power, and low brass power, in particular, to the show. The sounds they put out Sat. Night were lush and powerful. Brought huge smiles to my friends face (and surprise). I still think Regiment has a shot at 3rd this year, but of course I'm biased. They certainly deserved a tad better GE scores yesterday, and really took an unjustified hit in Ensemble Music. Definitely the best Regiment has marched and played since 1997. Way cool visual moment for them is when they build a chevron/Eiffel Tower in drill towards the end. The very end of the show still doesn't feel like an end though. Also, apart from the beautiful colors, the guard doesn't stand out in terms of demand or work, or effect moments. That is hurting them too. Anyways, thanks again, Regiment for a phantastic show! Madison Scouts (FIRST VIEWING) -- Ok, before all the Madison Crowd goes off on me, let me start by saying I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! The music book is fun and innovative, and the corps has taken a major step forward in drill design. The level of execution in both brass playing and marching has taken a major step forward, although, marching is still a relative opportunity. The "magical" entrance of Carmen is truly that, done amazingly well. You KNOW she's under the backfield DM podium, and you KNOW when she's coming out with the part of the guard that gathers back there, but you STILL can't see her until the last four guys peel away -- and I was sitting up high with a good view. Not sure how they are pulling that off, but kudos! As for Carmen, I agree with others that I wish she was given some equipment at some point. The prancing around does get a little old. The show does not seem to achieve the emotion it could when she dies, but I guess you don't watch a Madison show for high theatre or emotional drama of that kind. Upon first viewing, I have to say I don't feel that Madison's show has the depth or demand of either Bluecoats or Phantom, and I could easily see them slipping to 5th or 6th by Finals. Musically (at least brass wise), there is not enough meat there for me. Visually, I was expecting more from the guard based on the hype. They are good, but I wish they used more equipment, more effectively. Regardless of that, the men of Mad Town are to be commended for re-establishing themselves among the elite, with a great product. Blue Devils -- This was my second viewing, but I'm still not sold on this show. Their are moments of greatness - by all 3 sections. And some awesome moments of power I haven't seen BD produce since they made the Bb switch. However, while not as bad as my first impressions Thursday, the show DOES have a lot of downtime, both musically & visually. You also hear musical dirt you don't often hear from BD. When has BD EVER placed 6th in brass since they moved into the elite? Probably never until last night, but they deserved that placement, IMO. The narration, oddly, kind of works, as it's integral to the show, but I also think it's the cause for a lot of the downtime that is ultimately hurting the corps. Visually, I wish we could see more depth and variation in BD's drill. It's almost all blocks & 2 parallel lines. They have some very high demand visual moments (which at this point are pretty dirty), but hey also have, again, tons of downtime visually. Same applies to the color guard at this point, though still clearly one of the 3 elite guards. I don't think they can make up the content gap with Cadets or Cavies, though. I predicted Cadets would be in front of BD at this show, and they clearly were on another level from BD. I'd say BD has more to worry about in being caught from behind than they do of catching anyone in front of them - especially Cadets. Still, I did enjoy the show. It just leaves you kind of flat at this point in the season. And please don't give me the "it's only their 5th show" response -- Hey, yes, they went to Europe. But you know what? They practiced & performed over there too. Was it a handicap? I'm sure. But not one that will drive their final placement. The Cadets(FIRST VIEWING) -- Boy, was I excited to this show. I have to admit to being among the Cadets biggest critics about their lack of innovation and creativity over the past 5 years, and I've been looking forward to seeing if they were getting back in touch with their artistic side. Whether or not this is original, or a rehash of Mona Shores HS, I really enjoyed the show. It's not too hard to follow at all, to the point they really don't even need the narration at the beggining (which is at least pretty harmless). The reverse unis are used to very neat effect at several points, to the point of being eiry. What a powerful & fantastic hornline! It's obvious that Gino is back in the fold. The CG was also terrific. As for the story line, I thought it was cool, but not as dominant a part of the show as reviews had led me to believe. I was surprised that the effect isn't bigger when the four girls "meet." I think there is opportunity there to do something much more powerful, like a huge strain of the "Twilight Zone" music or something right there. My money since the early season has been on Cadets to win this year (more a hunch than anything), and I stick to that prediction, although I think they will go down to the wire with yet another stellar Cavalier product. The Cavaliers (FIRST VIEWING) -- The creativity coming out of Rosement never ceases to amaze me. Yet another great show from the Green Machine. Different in some ways to the past few years, as there aren't nearly as many big, open effect drill moments, but still tons of creativity in the drill. It's certainly strange to see a Cavies show end in a park & blow, but it's done very, very well, even re-integrating the ladders, which are used pretty effectively in several places in the show. I loved the baseball section, even if I came in expecting more of an emotional "Field of Dreams" kind of feel to that piece and was surprised to see it be more of the lighthearded, fun variety. Kudos. The HR was indeed very cool. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the show was the Great Chicago Fire section. I guess I was expecting more Fireworks, musically and visually. Cavies, as the judges concurred, are WAY behind Cadets in GE Music. Still, a good show, despite the lack of memorable music (at least upon first viewing/listening). Definitely in the running for first come Finals, if they can hold off Cadets, who I actually think have more going on. Here's how I would have had placements Sat Night: Cavaliers Cadets BD Regiment (but only a 10th or 2 behind BD) Bluecoats Scouts Crown Boston SCV BK Glassmen (but with more of a gap between them & Spirit) Spirit. Course, I'm sure my biases come though in the main difference above, but there were sure a lot of other people seeming to be thinking the same way... Harvey

I'm surprised their aren't more reviews out here for S.A. I had to make the long trek from S.A. to Enid on Sunday to take my mom to the show here in Enid tonight (Monday), so I apologize for not getting this out sooner. First off, let me say this was a terrific show, with a huge crowd. I've always loved the format of this show - and the chance to enjoy drum corps in Texas in the airconditioning. Had great seats for both shows, on the 42, on the 3rd row of the upper deck. I have to say I enjoyed every show, although as a suite of performances, I'm not sure this years Div I shows are as entertaining as last summer's. That opinion will likely change as the summer goes along though. I was seeing about 1/3 of the corps for the first time last night, so be warned. I've found first viewing impressions often change by the time finals roll around... Revolution -- What a nice, and suprising, way to start the show! Revolution was quite good. Not at all what I was expecting on their first year back off a haitus year. While the music is in the what is now typical somwhat esoteric Revolution style, the kids are performing it well for this point in the season. Some very nice moments, with great intensity (they had about 30 horns, I think). The color guard was quite good, and if on the same sheets would have certainly beaten at least a couple of the Div I guards. Visual design is the strength of this show overall, though there is lots of room for clean up of forms and individual marching. All and all, nice show, and it's great to see them back on the field. I could definitely see this show doing well at Div III Finals. Kiwanis Kavaliers -- I have to say how much I admire the guts & determination of these kids (and their staff). They know they are the smallest Div I corps out there, and likely to finish last in Div I, yet they are obviously working hard to clean up their show, and they perform it quite well. The kids they have can obviously play. The hornline puts out a nice sound, and there are some nice musical moments to the show, probably highlighted by the Pink Panther section. The have filled their holes, which helps, too. Color guard remains the glaring weakness of this corps, but equally as much from a design perspective as anything they are executing. Hang in there, KK, and keep your heads high! You should be proud of what you are accomplishing. Troopers -- Wow! I was quite impressed with the product put out by Troop today. I actually thought they might have beaten Esperanza today, particularly in music captions, and in field & ensembel visual (marching). Turns out the at least did win the musc & visual ensemble captions over Espy. Troopers performed quite well yesterday. The horn line put's a out an increasing mature, warm should, with quite a bit of depth for their 36 horn size. They marched yesterday the best I think I've seen Casper march in at least 3 years, if not more. Nice individual technique, particularly in feet. The show itself comes across pretty well, although it does feel like the "Comin round the mountain" section goes on a bit long. It's a nice take on the piece, with the light hearted, dissonant approach, but it wear's out it's welcome somewhere along the line. The corps has added some nice visuals to enhance the humor of the piece as well. Div. I is just so darn tough this year, that I don't know if Troop can move up any or not. They were certainly much cleaner than Esperanza today, yet they've already been passed by what is probably their closest competition. Regardless, these kids should be very proud of their product, and if they will stick with this corps and the improvement path they are on, I can see Troop fighting it's way up the ranks towards Semis in the next couple of years. Esperanza -- I was looking forward to seeing what this corps has done with their show since Pacific Procession. They have certainly cleaned up significantly, and their color guard in particular has improved quite a bit! Musically, this show just doesn't sell for me, although it contains a few nice highlights. As usual, the corps is very ambitious, both in musical and visual design. I did enjoy the show, and I didn't even mind the whistles as much. The closer is definitely the most exciting part of the show. Certainly not Esperanza's best corps, but perhaps they are in a bit of a rebuilding mode this year before continuing their push up the ranks. Hope so. Great to see more competitive Div. I corps out there! The Magic(FIRST VIEWING) -- wow, that feels wierd to say. Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised by this corps. In particular, their brass line is quite strong. I felt they were perhaps the 4th or 5th best horn line in the afternoon show. Guess I wasn't that far off, as the brass scores were in the 7-8 range in looking at the recap. The silver sash works for the corps uniform, and the purple is still nicely, distinctively different. I have to say (and I think I'm in the minority on this), that I still miss the red sash's. So why isn't Magic threatening for Semis? I think the judges are dead on. It's GE Music, marching & color guard that are the corps big opportunities. The music book has a lot of nice, powerful chords, but the Key Poulan arrangements left me flat. I'd like to see more direction in melodies, and more depth to scoring. The music leaves the audience somewhat detached. It's a shame, cause this horn line can flat out play! Very powerful. Visually, the corps sorely needs to work on marching, both in form definition and in individual technique. The color guard also has lots of room for cleaning, and thy just don't add too much to this show right now. Despite the opps, I did enjoy their show & look forward to seeing Magic again. Capital Regiment -- I was actually a bit surprised that Cap Reg was not in front of Southwind, until I looked at the recaps. The big driver of their placement was GE Music, and that makes some sense to me, as Southwind certainly has a much more creative, engaging, and exciting music book. However, Cap is performing quite well, and this show is gelling. They've added more detail to the sun dial, with the black cloth filling in the angle, and now highlighted with Silver and an artistic picture of the Sun. It's also integrated into the show fairly well, and from the upper deck, I didnt' find myself distracted by it at all, and felt it perhaps even adds a tad to the show. Perhaps it's because from up high, you don't focus as much on the 2 poor girls that have to haul it all over the field. The horn line is putting out some great sounds, with lots of power. I don't understand how they got beat by S/W in brass, and certainly agree with their large edge in Mus. Ensemble. This show is growing on me (2nd viewing). Looking forward to the 3rd in Indy. Don't count them out of Semis yet. Southwind -- This was my second viewing of Southwind, after the Dallas show. I don't think it sold QUITE as well to me this time. Not sure if it was that I was in the upper deck, and further removed from the individual characterizations in the corps, or if it's just some of the novelty or shock from seeing S/W with such a fun, innovative product was worn off. However, I STILL LOVE THIS SHOW!!! It's one of the best show designs in DCI this year. Bravo! The muscical arrangements are very creative, and it's fun to see so many accessible pieces weaved together in unique ways. It's also written at a level these kids can acheive. It's very clear that the kids love the show and are working extremely hard. I think that is the secret ingredient -- kids buy in to the show -- that is propelling S/W so far this year. The color guard is a significant step up for S/W as well. This is a show I look forward to seeing again with much anticipation. I don't know if they can hold off Cap Reg for the rest of the season, though. If they are to do that, they still need significant work in both marching, and in tightening up the ensemble sound and projecting a fuller, darker sound up to the stands. Seattle Cascades -- This show is kind of a mystery to me, and I've seen it 3 times now. The corps SHOULD be doing better than they are, but they aren't, and I can't put my finger on it. I even agree with their scoring and placements. They are a full size group, with a HUGE color guard. The narration is holding them back, in my opinion. Unlike BD's narration, much of Seattle's narration occurrs during beautiful music moments, or in that "ahh" place right after a nice moment. The horn line is powerful, although there is still plenty of cleaning to do. Visually, there is a ton of dirt still to clean, and they are running out of time if the corps had visions of pushing for finals. IN all, I think show design is holding them back. From color schemes, to the biplane equipment, the show just feels immature. I noticed they took a pounding in GE visual. I'd agree with that. The big plane effect has sold less well each time I've seen it. Have they cleaned that section at all? It is very sloppy, both musically and visually, and it SHOULD be a big moment. Just as in Wichita Falls, when they assemble the plane and before they rotate it, the wings don't even line up with each other at this point. Those opportunities aside, it's still a cool product, and it's great to see such quality of corps all the way through the Semi Finals challengers. Mandarins -- what a nice show from Mandarins! Clearly their best show every. I thought based on what I saw in San Jose this corps had a great shot at the 14-15th range at DCI. Dependign on how Pacific Crest shows out in Boston, they still have a great shot at 15th. I don't see them catching anyone above them, though. This is a very nicely designed show, performed with lots of power and energy from the corps. What's keeping them from threatening for finals? While I love some sections of the music books, in some others the arrangements are either too choppy, or are too complex for the kids to achieve and project to the stands at this point. Also, while I'm no percussion expert, they clearly aren't as clean as those around them in overall placement. It's great to hear Adagio from Spartacus on the field, and they do the piece justice. Mandarins are an aggessive, hard working group, and it will be interesting to see how much they can clean what is already their best show ever by the time we get to Boston. Colts -- I was pretty tough on this corps, I think, in my Dallas review, and maybe a tad too tough. Ironically, line up positioning in Dallas had a lot to do with that, as their show is just not nearly as fresh or original as the S/W and Cap Reg corps they were sandwiched between there. Here in S.A., though, the show did sell better. The horn line gave a much more inspired performance. I would still like to hear a little more warmth and lushness to the brass sound though. Just a touch of edge & harshness remains to their sound. Drill design is probably the weakest design element of the show. Also, from an effect persepective, the post cards aren't coming across that well. Perhaps they should cover each one until they use it in the show, then recover it, and only uncover all four at the end? They are not integrated into the show well (might be tough to do as huge as they are). Also, the angle is so flat, even from the upper deck, that the lights wreck havoc on them. Still, the best Colts have been in a few years. I don't particularly care for the Promise of the Living arrangement. I wish it was a bit more lush & melodic. I thought their color guard was underscored yesterday. A very, very nice color guard. It would not be impossible for this crew to make finals if they continue to tweak & push. Both of the corps ahead of them do have weaknesses. Crossmen -- Boy did I get this one wrong. I actually thought they would make the night show over Spirit. Perhaps order of appearance hurt somewhat, but not enough to explain that gap. I certainly did not agree in the huge gap in brass scores between Crossmen & Spirit. The horn line seems to have improved significantly since when I saw them in Wichita Falls on Tuesday. The should was fuller, with a bit less edge. Still not up to Crossmen standards, but not that far off. Musically, the show really suffers after the beautiful ballad, until they get close to the end. I know this should be a minor thing, but I can't stand the guard uni on the guys. It looks really amatuer, and does not mesh at all well with the ladies in the guard. Still very much in the hunt for Finals, IMO. Spirit(FIRST VIEWING) -- On first viewing, I think I was let down by Spirit. The music arrangements are very, very choppy. Far to many snippets, without melodic lines to my taste. The horn line does not seem to have the power of Spirit's better lines over the past few years, yet they got a nice brass score. They do have a nice, warm sound, but without nearly as much bottom as they usually have. I don't remember much about the color guard, but one thing really bugged me about the ballad. They have nice big playbills from many major musicals of the last 20 years, but they turn arouns all the ones that are closed too early (they have a "Closed" on the back), leaving only the Phantom of the Opera playbill showing -- BUT THEY ARE NOT PLAYING MUSIC FROM PHANTOM UNTIL THE LAST FEW NOTES. When they do get to a strain (that's all you hear of anything in this show) of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," THAT's when they should "close" the other shows/playbills. Would make for a better effect, I think. Overall, I was left a bit flat by Spirit. I'll have to see them again, for sure to better understand and appreciate the show. I'm going to "Break" this review here, as I know it is already really LONG. This is a good place to break it, as regardless of scores, there feels like a clear break in shows between the contenders for 12th and those in 11 and above. Harvey

I'm about to post my review. I think I agree EXACTLY with your placements. I had a friend with me who marched Star, BD & SCV and has been on staff with SCV until this year, and he also thought Regiment was underscored (so It's not just my Regiment bias coming through). I was on the 42 on row 3 in the upper deck. Almost everyone around me though Phantom either should have been top 3 or knocking on the door just behind BD.

LMAO. You are judging a stadium by the SOUND you hear over a CELL phone. LOL. The Dallas stadium is one of the best venues for a local show around. Nice, steeply pitched stadium right on top of what is a very nice field. The show was great last night, despite the heat & humidity. Harvey

I agree with others here. I've been to both Indy & SA many times. The Alamo Dome is much better than the RCA dome for sound. Plus after sitting through the heat & humidity of Dallas last night, I'm looking forward to the airconditioning on Saturday... The AD works in my opinion. The RCA dome is another matter. great seats for visual viewing (especially the nice low upper deck), but the sound is really bad. There is a really nice stadium down the road in Bloomington that would work so much better, or perhaps the new Soldier Field in Chicago? Harvey

Even more interesting than the brass score flip flop with Regiment & Cadets (performance levels would have more impact here you would think) is that this is a huge reversal in GE Visual, where Regiment was ahead too. Wonder how many first time viewers for Regiment were on the panel last night? Will be interesting to see if the margin tightens back up on Saturday or not... Harvey

Ok, after watching in Dallas last night, I'm ammending this a bit. 1 - Cavies 2 - Cadets -- beware, they could pull an upset! 3 - BD -- danger, danger! Madison could take them down 4 - Madison 5- Regiment 6 - Bluecoats 4 through 6 is such a toss up 7 - Crown 8 - Boston 9 - SCV -- show performance not nearly as strong as what was in rehersal the night before... 10 -- BK Not sold on their threatening of SCV, but will be helpful to see them back to back in S.A. 11 -- Glassmen 12 -- Spirit will just edge Crossmen. Colts will be a couple of points back. Harvey

Well, certainly congrats to your child & all the kids in KK. What they are accomplishing, with their numbers, is very, very impressive. I wish them the best & look forward to seeing them again first in San Antonio & Indy and then in Providence, too! Harvey